Gordon Macdonald MSP said the Scottish Budget an “enormous step forward” in achieving the Scottish Government’s mission of eradicating child poverty in Edinburgh as progress begins in ending Labour’s two-child cap.
The two-child cap was introduced by the Tories as part of their programme of austerity and has been subsequently adopted by Labour as one of their policies, despite their previous promises to scrap it.
Across Scotland the cap impacts 83,000 children and 26,000 households – that’s 1,600 families in Edinburgh alone. By ending it the SNP government will lift 15,000 children out of poverty.
Commenting, the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands said: “The two-child cap is an abhorrent policy that has harmed 1,600 households in Edinburgh.
“Yet it is another Tory policy which Labour has adopted as one of their own.
“With 83,000 children across Scotland impacted, it is right that this SNP Government has made the decision to end the cap once and for all – lifting 15,000 children out of poverty and making progress on the key mission of this government: to eradicate child poverty once and for all.
“It is disappointing that the Labour UK government has chosen to maintain the cap, and I would urge their colleagues in the Scottish Parliament to choose differently and back this budget; made for Scotland, by Scotland.”
SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES NEW BREAKFAST CLUB FUND
Thousands of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will benefit from free breakfasts, thanks to £3 million from the Scottish Government.
Announced in the draft Budget for 2025-26, Bright Start Breakfasts will help more primary school children get a healthy start to the day. The initiative will also provide families with childcare, supporting more parents to get to work in the morning.
This investment will build on the current breakfast provision in place, with nearly half of Scotland’s schools already providing access to food before the start of the school day.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth visited Clackmannan Primary School, where local children are already attending a breakfast club.
Ms Gilruth said: “Breakfast clubs are a crucial part of the Scottish Government’s key mission to eradicate child poverty.
“We know how important a healthy breakfast can be for children, particularly those who are most at risk of poverty, and these clubs will help set children up for the day so they can achieve their learning potential.
“Bright Start Breakfasts will build upon the support that we are already providing families in the latest Budget, including lifting the two-child cap, expanding free school meals, the school clothing grant and education maintenance allowance – ultimately giving families across Scotland vital help through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”
New figures show over £1 billion paid out to help end child poverty
New figures show that the Scottish Government’s five family payments have reached a landmark figure since their launch, paying over £1billion to families across Scotland to help end child poverty.
The latest statistics released from Social Security Scotland reveal that between February 2021 and September 2024 £905.6 million has been paid out in Scottish Child Payment and a further £172.3 million since the launch of Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods.
The payments support children throughout key stages from pregnancy then birth, to starting school and on to age 16.
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment, Best Start Grant School Age Payment and the ‘game changing’ Scottish Child Payment are only available in Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Summerville said:“Ending child poverty is the Scottish Government’s single greatest priority. At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we have been delivering payments which offer vital to support families and children at key stages in their lives.
“There is help during pregnancy and in the months after a baby is born; help paying for early learning; help with that all important first day at school and help with buying the healthy, nutritious food that is vital for developing children.
“Then there is the unique Scottish Child Payment. More than 325,000 children and young people were benefitting from the payment by the end of September 2024. Our modelling projects Scottish Child Payment will keep 60,000 children out of relative poverty in 2024-25.”
Best Start Grant Early Learning Payment – one off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of early learning when a child is between two and three years and six months
Best Start Grant School Age Payment – one off payment of £314.45 to help with the costs of starting school when a child is first old enough to start primary one
Best Start Foods – up to £42.40 every four weeks from pregnancy up to when a child turns three to help buy healthy food
Parents, carers and guardians can get more information at mygov.scot/fivefamilypayments or by calling free on 0800 182 2222.
Research reveals over 6 million British children could be facing cold bedtimes this winter, with half of parents (49%) worried their children will be cold at home when temperatures drop.
The new data indicated that almost a quarter of Brits (24%) cannot keep their house warm when it’s cold, no matter what they try.
As a result, a third of parents (32%) admit they’ve had to put their children to bed in a cold room and a further 39% worry the temperature of their house is bad for their family’s health on cold days.
The research, conducted by the home heating experts at SpeedComfort, reveals the scale of British homes’ cold crisis, with many homes falling short of recommended healthy temperatures.
On average, Brits anticipate the temperatures inside their homes will drop to 12.8°C this winter. This is five degrees colder than the recommended healthy temperature for adults to live and sleep in (18°C) and three degrees colder than the minimum safe temperature for infants to sleep in (16°C), according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The impact of this on families across the UK is significant. According to the NHS, consistently being cold can have a detrimental impact on you and your family’s physical health.
The latest findings support this. 43% claim being cold at home causes them physical discomfort, over a quarter (28%) say they’re ill more often when it’s cold, and 41% report feeling down when they’re cold.
In addition to affecting families, the research found that cold temperatures are set to have a big impact on the UK’s most vulnerable citizens, with older people most likely to be cold at home this winter (37%).
This is concerning, given that they are more susceptible to the mental and physical effects of the cold. Half of over 65s say the cold causes discomfort and almost the same proportion (49%) state it makes them feel low (8% higher than the average Brit).
Wouter Heuterman, CEO of SpeedComfort, comments: “With the cost of living crisis continuing to affect so many families across the UK, it’s heartbreaking to see that so many people are worried about keeping their families safe and warm at home this winter.
“The cold has a huge impact on how we feel both physically and emotionally. For families with children and vulnerable people, the impact of cold temperatures is even further exacerbated.
“So, if you’re worried about the health of your family this winter, it’s well worth considering alternative ways of keeping your home warm when temperatures drop. To help with this, we’ve created a guide for staying warm without increasing energy usage this winter.”
As part of its approach to the Commission’s 2023-24 scrutiny of the Scottish Government’s progress in reducing child poverty, the Poverty and Inequality Commission wanted to hear from parents and carers who were a member of the Scottish Government’s ‘priority family types’. These are households types who are at greater risk of poverty.
The Commission worked with eight organisations to organise workshop discussions (and in one case a survey) to gather parent and carer participant views on:
What policies to reduce child poverty they were aware of
How well they felt policies were working
What else they felt was needed to reduce child poverty
This report summarises the views of participants on the three topics above, expanding on the material the Commission published earlier in 2024 as part of its 2023-24 child poverty scrutiny.
The Commission is very grateful to all the participants in our workshops who took time to discuss these issues, and the organisations who we worked with to arrange them.
More families across Scotland will get access to the help they need, where and when they need it – as local projects receive a funding boost from the Scottish Government.
Grants of up to £80,000 have been awarded to 12 projects undertaking a range of work, including:
helping families to access health services
providing money and budgeting advice
supporting employees to work flexibly around their family life
The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund invests in innovative, local projects to tackle child poverty – a commitment in this year’s Programme for Government.
First Minister John Swinney welcomed the announcement on a visit to CentreStage, a performing arts charity in Kilmarnock.
Later today (Tuesday 8 October) the First Minister will also meet people with experience of poverty at Bute House, before leading a Parliamentary debate as part of Challenge Poverty Week.
The First Minister said: “Organisations like CentreStage demonstrate how the government is working closely with communities, local government and the third sector to help families facing challenges right now.
“My national mission to end child poverty is underpinned by the importance of this type of collaboration.
“We want to see this community-focussed approach replicated across Scotland. That’s why our Fairer Future Partnerships are expanding to five new areas across Scotland – joining up local services, offering financial advice and supporting parents into work.
“Engaging people with experience of poverty as we build these services is at the heart of the government’s approach – and we are building on the strong foundations we have laid to end poverty in Scotland.
“The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund will kick-start another 12 innovative projects across the country to give even more families the help and support they need.”
List of projects to receive grants from Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund:
Area
Project
West Lothian
Identifying and addressing unmet need among low-income families
Fife
Embedding income maximisation across children’s health services aligning with a preventative and proactive care programme
East Lothian
What Matters? Collecting, measuring and using data that is meaningful to families in East Lothian
Aberdeen City
Evaluation and design of lone parent employability support to inform and direct future provision
East Renfrewshire
Flexible for families employer scheme
South Ayrshire
Exploring interconnection between child poverty and additional support needs: enhancing neurodiverse parenting support in South Ayrshire through preventative family wellbeing approaches
Dumfries & Galloway
Accessible Financial Wellbeing Support for Priority Families Project
Grampian
Health Equity & Learning Project (HELP), identifying and addressing barriers for families accessing NHS services
Scottish Borders
Money advice and budgeting support for families in the Scottish Borders
Edinburgh
Challenging poverty related stigma
Stirling
Early intervention family engagement
Tayside
Dundee Dads Rock
Challenge Poverty Week is a Poverty Alliance initiative which has taken place every year since 2013. This year it will take place from 7–13 Oct, with organisations across Scotland coming together to highlight the injustice of poverty in Scotland.
£1.57m for five new place-based partnerships to tackle child poverty
Innovative approaches to providing families with locally-based wrap-around support will be backed in five more areas as part of £1.57 million of additional investment this financial year.
The Fairer Futures Partnerships will ensure services are integrated to help families where and when they need it. The partnerships will build on the learning from three pathfinder projects in Dundee, Glasgow and Clackmannanshire.
In Dundee and Glasgow these have seen key-workers helping at-risk families and ‘walking alongside’ them until the right services or support have been identified and provided, and changing the way services are offered.
In Clackmannanshire activities have focused on supporting the community around the child, using schools as anchor points for breakfast clubs, after-school childcare, holiday provision, food services, childcare support and transportation to support holistic child development and family wellbeing .
The five new partnerships are in Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, Aberdeen and Perth and Kinross.
Speaking ahead of a debate on Eradicating Child Poverty in the Scottish Parliament, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s single greatest priority, but this relies on the contribution of many partners.
“Five additional ‘Fairer Futures’ partnerships within local authorities will now be established.
“We know families will only be able to thrive if they have access to the right support at the right time. Designing services around people’s needs means they work better for low-income families, for example to help maximise their incomes, support parents into work and improve the overall wellbeing of families.
“We want to work together with local government to deliver our shared priorities, which include tackling child poverty, to embed this model of whole family support with the potential for this to continue to be expanded further over time to more parts of the country.”
Funding to support the NHS, reduce carbon emissions and help tackle poverty
Almost £50 billion was spent by the Scottish Government last year on public services to help tackle child poverty, reduce carbon emissions, support the NHS and secure pay deals, according to newly published official figures.
The Provisional Outturn, which compares actual spending with the funding commitments set out in the Budget, shows that the Scottish Government spent £49.3 billion in the 2023-24 financial year. There was £292 million remaining – representing 0.6% of the Scottish Government’s total budget – all of which has been carried over through the Scotland Reserve to be directed towards priority areas in 2024-25.
In 2023-24 the Scottish Government:
spent nearly £5.2 billion on social security benefits. This includes £429 million on Scottish Child Payment, alongside funding to introduce Carer Support Payment in pilot areas, ahead of full roll-out in 2024, and to widen eligibility for Best Start Foods
invested more than £19 billion in health and social care, supporting recovery and reform to secure sustainable public services, while delivering a pay uplift for NHS staff
provided nearly £220 million to the Heat in Buildings Programme to help deliver greener and more energy efficient homes
continued providing Just Transition Fund grant funding, including £16.8 million for projects in the North-east and Moray regions, in addition to £3 million to help vulnerable global communities address loss and damage brought on by climate change
invested almost £422 million on bus services and concessionary fares, providing up to 2.3 million people in Scotland with access to free bus travel.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: “These figures show once again how this government is prudently and competently managing the public finances while delivering funding for the things that matter to people across Scotland, not least the NHS and action to tackle child poverty.
“The Scottish Government has consistently balanced its budgets each and every year. This represented a significant challenge last year, as the continued impact of persistently high inflation, pressure on public sector pay, backlogs as a result of the Covid pandemic and the war in Ukraine combined to place pressure on the public finances.
“We are not allowed to overspend, so must leave ourselves with the headroom to manage any unexpected shocks or issues. The remaining funding has been allocated in full in 2024-25, allowing us to implement measures at the most optimal time rather than being constrained to a single financial year.”
A fund to trial new ways of combating child poverty has opened for a second round of applications.
The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund (CPAF) will provide up to £80,000 per grant towards local projects that test and evaluate new approaches which target at least one of the three drivers of child poverty reduction: improving income from employment, supporting people with the cost of living, and increasing awareness and uptake of social security benefits.
Applications can be submitted by local authorities and health boards, who may choose to work with other groups and organisations in the community.
Eradicating child poverty is @ScotGov’s top priority, and our policies are estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.
Ahead of a Scottish Parliament debate on eradicating child poverty, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is a central mission for the Scottish Government and we must find new and innovative ways to achieve this.
“Measures such as the Scottish Child Payment are estimated to keep 100,000 children in Scotland out of relative poverty this year, but we are determined to go further. The Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund will support projects that target the root causes of child poverty and create lasting change in our communities.
“Local authorities and health boards are already undertaking transformative work to tackle child poverty and this fund will support them to go further and share best practice, to help make child poverty a thing of the past.”
Support to help families on low incomes with childcare
Football clubs and trusts across Scotland will receive additional funding to boost efforts to eradicate child poverty.
In the capital, four clubs – Spartans Community Foundation, Big Hearts, Hibernian Community Foundation and Edinburgh South Community FC – will all receive substantial government support.
The Scottish Government will double its investment in the Extra Time Programme, a joint initiative with the Scottish Football Association, from £2 million to £4 million for this financial year.
The funding will support more free before and after school clubs, and holiday clubs for children from families on low incomes.
By giving around a projected 3,000 children each week free access to sport and other activities which wrap around the school day, the funding will help more parents to enter or sustain employment or training.
First Minister John Swinney made the announcement during a visit to Pollok United’s after-school activity club where he heard about the contribution innovative childcare options are making to the eradication of child poverty.
Mr Swinney said: “We know funding from the Extra Time Programme is enabling football clubs and trusts to provide really valuable childcare options, particularly for families from low-income households who are most at risk of living in poverty.
“By removing barriers to affordable and accessible childcare, we will contribute to the eradication of child poverty. I will shortly set out further views on this crucial issue in Parliament.
“At the Nethercraigs Sports Facility, I saw children enjoying a healthy snack and fun activities including arts and crafts and sports. Parents have told Pollok United the service helps with food and childcare costs, relieving pressure on stretched family budgets.
“Like many others, I will be supporting Scotland at Euro 2024 when it gets underway in Germany this week. But the Extra Time Programme is a reminder that local football clubs are supporting communities here at home – providing valuable services beyond matchday. They understand the value of that support for local families, and they are well placed to provide crucial facilities and services.”
SFA Chief Executive Ian Maxwell said: “We are delighted to announce this additional funding in conjunction with the Scottish Government to extend the Extra Time Programme.
“The benefits have been clear to see and it’s vital that we continue to offer support for families to allow children and young people to access as much physical activity as possible.
“As well as the thousands of children who will engage with the game, clubs are often the heartbeat of their local communities and it’s just as important that we offer more opportunities for parents and carers too. This programme is a great example of how impactful the power of football can be.”
A Spartans spokesperson said: “We are delighted to be part of this delivery in North Edinburgh, supporting families in our community and providing after school and holiday clubs for young people.”
Pollok United Community Engagement and Funding Lead Deborah McCabe said: “Pollok United is delighted to be involved in this innovative Scottish Government and SFA collaboration.
“It has enabled us to provide a service that not only supports families during this cost of living crisis by offering free childcare provision, it also demonstrates that grassroots football organisations are well placed to deliver successful wider socio-economic support within communities, resulting in meaningful outcomes for those involved.”
EXTRA TIME funding:
Club
Region
Project Budget
Aberdeen FC Community Trust
North
£108,600.00
Broxburn United Sports Club
South East
£149,700.00
Celtic FC Foundation
West
£84,608.00
Dundee United Community Trust
East
£89,130.00
Dundee United Sports Club 1984
East
£143,136.20
Dundee West Community Trust
East
£104,010.00
Edinburgh South Community FC
South East
£135,000.00
Falkirk Community Football Foundation
Central
£149,884.34
Glenrothes Strollers Community FC
East
£134,335.00
Heart of Midlothian Football Club
South East
£158,250.60
Hibernian Community Foundation Ltd
South East
£149,844.00
Inverness CT Community Development
North
£250,772.00
Montrose Community Trust
East
£100,185.00
Morton in the Community
West
£82,946.25
Motherwell FC Community Trust
Central
£120,066.50
North Kelvin Sports Development Group
West
£131,214.00
Partick Thistle Charitable Trust
West
£183,238.47
Pollok United
West
£61,610.00
Queen of the South Community Trust
South West
£112,000.00
Queens Park FC Foundation
West
£79,218.40
Rangers Charity Foundation
West
£126,289.00
Spartans Community Foundation
South East
£178,544.00
St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation
West
£151,300.00
Wasp Community Club
Central
£110,811.00
The Killie Community
South West
£53,923.45
Ayr United
South West
£226,630.00
Blantyre Soccer Academy
South West
£126,220.00
Cumnock Juniors Community Enterprise
South West
£31,000.00
Inverkeithing Hillhead Swifts / Blairgowrie and Rattray
